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[LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.} 

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UNITED STATES OE AMERICA. 



SJt&lf.C*' THI 



UNCONVERTED 



Invited to the Saviour. 



J^O. 1 



By Rev. R. De FOREST, 






ROCHESTER, N. Y. 




ROCHESTER PRINTING COMPANY BOOK AND JOB PRINT. 
1872. 



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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872s on 
the 4th day of April, hy Rev. RICHARD De FOREST, of 
Rochester, N.Y., in the office of the Librarian o f Congress, 
at Washington, D.C. 




JTo 



TE. 



This work has no pretension to literary merit, 
but its design is to lead precious souls to the 
Saviour. That it may go forth upon its errand of 
love, and lead souls to Jesus, is the sincere and 
earnest prayer of the author. 

R. D. F. 



THE UNCONVERTED 



INVITED TO THE SAVIOUR. 



SECTION I. 

COME TO THE SAVIOUR. 

T^ELLOW sinner, come to the Saviour 
-*■ of sinners. " This is a faithful say- 
ing, and worthy of all acceptation, that 
Jesus Christ came into the world to save 
sinners." For this special object he came 
to this wicked world. He saves by tak- 
ing our place, and bearing the punish- 
ment we justly deserve, for breaking the 
holy law of God. He was perfectly holy, 
therefore, he kept the law perfectly. We 



Q THE UNCONVERTED 

deserve to die for our numerous and 
aggravated sins. " The soul that sinneth 
it shall die." But the Saviour died for 
us. " He gave his life a ransom for 
I many." We are under the curse of God's 
holy law. " Cursed is every one who 
continueth not in all things written in 
the book of the law to do them." But 
He was made a curse for us. " He was 
wounded for our transgressions, he was 
bruised for our iniquities; and by his 
stripes we are healed." " He bare our 
sins in his own body on the tree." " He 
was despised and rejected of men; a man 
of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." 
The Saviour "carried our sorrows." He 
suffered the temptations of Satan. He 
sweat as it were great drops of blood 
falling down to the ground in the gar- 
den of Gethsemane. He was scourged, 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. 7 

mocked, spit upon, crowned with thorns, 
and nailed to the cross until he died. We 
are slaves to sin — he came to set us free 
from the power and dominion of sin. To 
do this, he redeemed us with his precious 
blood. We are condemned to die by the 
law of God, but the Saviour left the man- 
sions of glory, saying, " I will die for 
them, that their sins may be forgiven, 
and they be saved." He has now ascend- 
ed into heaven and there " he ever liveth 
to make intercession for us." He saves 
those who put their entire trust in him. 
He saves them from the sting of death 
— he saves them from final condemna- 
tion at the day of judgment. We must 
appear at the judgment seat as guilty 
sinners, but if we can truly present this 
only plea, I trust in the Saviour, who died 
for me, he will at once pronounce our 



8 



THE UNCONVERTED 



acquittal and salvation through his mer- 
its. He says to you, poor sinner, you are 
in great danger of being lost in hell for- 
ever; but I present you a free pardon, 
purchased with my own blood shed on 
Calvary. I shed my blood freely for your 
salvation. I am able to save you from 
sin and hell. " Come unto me all ye 
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will 
give you rest." This invitation is to you, 
dear fellow sinner. Are you not heavy 
laden with sin and guilt ? O then I en- 
treat you to come to the Saviour, and you 
will surely find rest. " The Spirit and 
the bride say come. And let him that 
heareth say, come. And let him that is 
athirst come. And whosoever will, let 
him take the water of life freely." What 
precious invitations are these to you. fel- 
low sinner ! God the Father invites you 



INVITED TO THE SAVIOUR. Q 

to come. God the Son says to you, come. 
God the Holy Spirit beseeches you to 
come. All true Christians who have 
found rest in the Saviour invite you to 
come. The Saviour promises rest to your 
troubled soul. It is a dreadful situation 
to be a wretched slave of sin and Satan, 
having an evil conscience, and a heart 
burdened with sin You can only find 
rest by coming to the Saviour. If you 
come he will be your present helper, 
under all the various circumstances in 
life. Are you poor in this world's goods? 
come, he will give you everlasting riches. 
Are you sick of sin ? come, and he will 
cure your sin-sick soul. Are you weep- 
ing ? come, and he will wipe away every 
tear from your eyes. Are you bereaved 
in the loss of dear friends ? cpme, and he 
will be an unchanging friend, who will 



10 THE UNCONVERTED 

never die. Are you burdened with your 
sins ? O then, come to the blessed Saviour 
and he will remove them all far away. 
Do you desire to be prepared for the day 
of your death and the solemn judgment ? 
O then, come to the Saviour and that 
trying hour and the ordeal of the judg- 
ment, will be the dawn of eternal life and 
glory. To be invited by a holy Saviour 
to receive the gift of eternal life and hap- 
piness from his hands, so kindly offered 
for your acceptance, should make you 
hasten with joy and gladness to receive 
it. When " blind Bartimeus sat by the 
highway side begging, heard that Jesus 
of Nazareth was passing by, he began to 
cry out, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, 
have mercy on me. And they charged 
him that he should hold his peace ; but 
he cried the more, Thou Son of David, 






INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. y[ 

have mercy on me. Jesus stood still and 
commanded him to be called. And they 
call the blind man, saying unto him, be 
of good comfort, rise ; he calleth thee. 
He, casting away his garment, rose and 
came to Jesus. Jesus answered and said 
unto him, What wilt thou that I should 
do unto thee ? The blind man said unto 
him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. 
Jesus said unto him, Go thy way ; thy 
faith hath made thee whole. And imme- 
diately he received his sight and followed 
Jesus in the way." Fellow sinner, this 
same Jesus calls you to come to him. As 
blind Bartimeus cast off his garment lest 
it should be a hindrance to him, so you 
must cast off all your sins that they may 
not hinder you, and fall at the feet of Jesus, 
saying, " Have mercy on me, or I perish." 
Do you say you are a great and guilty, 



12 THE UNCONVERTED INVITED. 

guilty, guilty sinner? With all your guilt, 
come; come just as you are and he will 
wash your guilt away with his precious 
blood. Come, " though your sins be as 
scarlet they shall be made as white as 
snow ; though they be red like crim- 
son, they shall be as wool." " Come, 
without money and without price." 
Come, high and low, rich and poor, old 
and young, sinners of every class, come, 
without delay. 

" Come, for all things now are ready, 
Yet there's room for many more ; 
O ye blind, ye lame and needy, 

Come to wisdom's boundless store !'' 



SECTION II. 



THE CARELESS SINNER INVITED TO COME. 

IT may be you feel you are not a sinner. 
That you are no worse than many of 
your fellow men, and are much better than 
many of them. That you are not guilty 
of the sins of which the Apostle Paul 
speaks, saying, " Now the works of the 
flesh are manifest, which are these : Adul- 
tery, fornication, uncleanness, lascivious- 
ness, idolatry, hatred, variance, emula- 
tions, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 
envyings, murders, drunkenness, revel- 
lings, and such like — that they which do 
such things shall not inherit the kingdom 
of God." Are you indeed not guilty of 
any of these things ; but has your life ex- 
hibited " the fruit of the Spirit which is 



14 THE UNCONVERTED 

love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, 
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance — 
against such there is no law." Remem- 
ber, God's law goes to the thoughts and 
intents of the heart, and requires that you 
not only do right, but that you feel right 
towards both God and man. His law 
requires that you love God with all your 
heart, soul, mind, strength, and that you 
love your neighbor as yourself. Are you 
perfectly conscious that you have always 
done this ? Do you delight in the Sab- 
bath and the worship of God? Do you 
delight in reading the Scriptures, and 
also in the duty of prayer? Do you 
strive to obey God in leading a holy life ? 
Do you take pleasure in leading others 
to obey God ? If you have always done 
this you have nothing to boast of, for you 
have only just done your duty. But you 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. 



15 



are conscious that you have not done it. 
You know you have committed a vast 
multitude of sins. You know it has not 
been your chief object in any of your ac- 
tions to honor and glorify God. But 
you have lived to yourself, and sought 
your own pleasure, and the honor of men, 
instead of the honor that comes from God 
only." We are taught in God's word, 
" If a man say he hath no sin he deceiveth 
himself. There is none righteous, no, 
not one. All have sinned and come short 
of the glory of God." God upon whom 
you are dependent for life and breath and 
all things, you have not glorified. Fel- 
low sinner, guilt of the deepest dye rests 
upon you. In God's book of remem- 
brance, all your sins are recorded, with 
unerring certainty. You cannot blot one 
of them out. Should you spend the 



]@ THE UNCONVERTED INVITED. 

remainder of your life in a continuous 
effort to cancel them you could not atone 
for the least sin. All that you could pos- 
sibly do would only be your duty for the 
present time. While all your past life, 
with the multitude of your sins, would 
remain precisely where it was. You can- 
not recall your past life; it has flown 
into eternity, with all your sins, to stand 
against you at the judgment day. But, 
fellow sinner, there is free and full for- 
giveness for every sinner who will come 
to the Saviour. The blessed Saviour has 
purchased pardon for all those who will 
come to him for it. O then, come to the 
Saviour for it. He is ready now to be- 
stow it upon you. 

" If now thou standest at the door, 
Oh, let me feel thee near, 
And make my peace with thee, before 
I at thy Bar appear." 



SECTION III. 

COME TO THE SAVIOUR THAT YOU MAY ESCAPE 
THE ANGER OF GOD. 

GOD is angry with the wicked every 
day. He cannot look upon their 
sins with any allowance or approbation." 
How provoking has been your innum- 
erable sins. He has not only given and 
preserved your life, but he has bestowed 
blessings and comforts upon you without 
number. Yet you disregard them as 
coming from his hand. He has given 
you his commandments, for your best 
good, but you do not regard or obey them. 
You do not reverence God in your daily 
deportment, but live as if there was no 
God, to whom you are accountable. Sup- 
pose you should treat a kind friend in 



23 THE UNCONVERTED 

that manner, what would be thought of 
you ? Listen to what God says: " Hear, 
O heavens, and be astonished, O earth ! I 
have nourished and brought up children, 
and they have rebelled against me." He 
is full of tender compassion towards you, 
but you grieve, him by your manifold 
sins committed against him. He is your 
Creator, Preserver and righteous Judge ; 
he must and will punish you for all your 
transgressions. You are in the hands of 
an angry God, whose anger cannot be 
turned away while you are in rebellion 
against him. It is your sins that make 
him angry with you. And as long as 
you continue in sin he will be angry. 
And the longer you continue in sin, the 
hotter his anger waxes against you. You 
cannot flee from his presence. Should 
you fly to the uttermost part of the earth, 



INVITED TO THE SAVIOUR. 



19 



he is there and is angry with you. Upon 
him you are dependent for every breath 
you draw, and he is angry with you. It 
would be better to have the whole world 
angry with you than to have the eternal 
God angry who has " power to destroy 
both soul and body in hell." What a 
fearful condition you are in. The " wrath 
of God abidethupon you." How awful to 
feel that wherever you are, at all times, 
" God is angry" with you. And oh, how 
awful to die unprepared, knowing that 
"God is angry;" and to stand at the 
solemn judgment, knowing that an angry 
God will bring " every work into judg- 
ment with every secret thing, whether it 
be good or evil." Sinner, as long as you 
continue in your sins you make him 
angry. When you forsake your sins and 
become reconciled to God, his anger will 



2() THE UNCONVERTED INVITED. 

cease. The Saviour came into the world 
to open the way of salvation and recon- 
ciliation to God. If you w T ill unreserv- 
edly surrender your heart to the Saviour, 
and trust in him wholly for salvation, 
then God's anger will cease. O then, I 
entreat you to come to the Saviour with 
all your heart. Be no longer unrecon- 
ciled to God ; but become his friend 
without delay. O beware of rejecting 
the Saviour, lest the wrath of God abide 
upon you forever. " He that believeth 
not the Son, shall not see life, but the 
wrath of God abideth on him." 

" Repent, the voice celestial cries, 
No longer dare delay ; 
The wretch that scorns the mandate dies, 
And meets a fiery day." 



SECTION IV. 

COME TO THE SAVIOUR THAT YOU MAY BE SAVED 
FROM HELL. 

HELL is not an imaginary place, but 
its existence is as true as the existence 
of God. And remember that it is impossi- 
ble for God to lie, who has said that " the 
wicked shall be turned into hell and all 
the nations that forget God. It is ap- 
pointed unto men once to die, but after 
.this the judgment." "Then you must 
stand at the judgment, and give an ac- 
count of the deeds done in the body." 
God will be a strict, impartial judge ; not 
one sin will escape his notice, however 
secret it may have been committed. Then 
every sinner who has not received pardon 
by coming to the Saviour will appear on 



22 



THE UNCONVERTED 



the left hand of the Judge, who will pro- 
nounce upon them that dreadful sentence, 
" Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire, 
prepared for the devil and his angels." 
O think of the torments of that awful 
place ! Shut out from the enjoyments of 
this world, and from all dear friends, 
having no comforts, nothing but torment 
forever. You can take neither the riches 
or pleasures of this world with you. 
Conscience will sting like a scorpion, and 
your sins will bite like an adder. And 
the reflection of lost opportunities to 
secure the salvation of your soul will fill 
you with extreme anguish. Once lost in 
hell, you are lost forever. Then millions 
of worlds could not purchase an hour of 
probation. The Saviour speaks of this 
place of torment as " a lake that burneth 
with fire and brimstone — as outer dark- 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. 



23 



ness, where there is weeping and wailing 
and gnashing of teeth — where the worm 
dieth not, and the fire is not quenched — 
where a rich man in hell lifted up his 
eyes, being in torment, cried, ' Send La- 
zarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger 
in water, and cool my tongue ; for I am 
tormented in this flame.' " There all 
the sins of those that are lost will stare 
them in the face, and " the smoke of their 
torment ascendeth up for ever and ever." 
O, w T ho can conceive the intense misery 
of hell ? It is beyond the powder of lan- 
guage to describe it. How dreadful then 
to suffer the torments of hell. And every 
poor sinner whose sins are not forgiven 
is rapidly travelling to that fearful place 
of torment. If you, fellow sinner, have 
not received the pardon of your sins, you 
are every day and every hour drawing 



24 THE UNCONVERTED INVITED. 

nearer and nearer to that yawning and 
eternal abyss. Once there, then the last 
ray of hope has fled forever. Is there no 
way you can escape this fearful doom ? 
Yes ; there is only one way, and that is 
by flying to the Saviour — he only can 
save you from hell. He came to save all 
who will believe in him. " God so loved 
the world, that he gave his only begotten 
Son that whosoever believeth in him 
should not perish, but have everlasting 
life." If you will not believe in and 
come to the Saviour, you cannot be saved; 
but if you will believe in and come to 
him, all the powers of earth and hell can- 
not prevent your salvation. 

" Sinner ! can'st thou forever dwell 
Amid the fiery deeps of hell ? 
Has death no warning sound for thee ? 
O, turn, and to the Saviour flee." 



SECTION V. 



COME TO THE SAVIOUR THAT YOU MAY HAVE 
PEACE OF CONSCIENCE. 

* T IERE is no peace saith my God to 



TH1 






the wicked." Sinners flatter them- 
selves that they have peace, but it is a false 
peace, caused by their not thinking of 
their true condition. It is like a man 
who is careless and secure while his house 
is in flames over his head, who refuses to 
listen to the cry of fire, or make any 
effort to escape. So the sinner refuses 
to be alarmed with regard to his dreadful 
condition, and banishes all reflection 
about God and his obligation to obey 
him, and the great danger to which his 
soul is exposed. But sometimes he is 
compelled to reflect when death removes 



2Q THE UNCONVERTED 

a neighbor, or a dear friend, or enters his 
own house, and even threatens himself; 
then he sees that he is in great danger, 
and is not prepared to die and meet God. 
How must such a thought disturb his 
false repose. You cannot have peace un- 
til you receive the pardoning love of the 
Saviour. All the wealth and pleasures 
of this world cannot give you peace. But 
when you come to the Saviour all your 
sins will at once be forgiven and blotted 
from the book of his remembrance. God 
then says * " Your sins and iniquities will 
I remember no more." Having been 
blotted out, they will not appear against 
you at the judgment day. "He will 
abundantly pardon." Having come to the 
Saviour as a helpless sinner, you are par- 
doned, reconciled, saved. O what a happy 
and delightful change ! The compassion- 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. 27 

ate Saviour says : " Thy sins are forgiven 
thee; go in peace." " Peace I leave with 
you, my peace I give unto you." And, 
said the Apostle, " Being justified by 
faith, we have peace with God through 
our Lord Jesus Christ." All the pleas- 
ures that this world can afford cannot 
give you peace ; there can be no peace 
while you remain in your sins and are 
an enemy to God. Then renounce all 
your sins and come to the Saviour and 
he will give you peace; "the peace of 
God which passeth understanding." Will 
you come, O will you come to the Sa- 
viour, that you may enjoy this sweet peace 
which none but the Saviour can give 

<: While the Holy Ghost is nigh, 
Quickly to the Saviour fly , 
Then shall peace thy spirit cheer ; 
Then in heaven shall thou appear/' 



SECTION VI. 

COME TO THE SAVIOUR THAT YOU MAY RECEIVE 
A NEW HEART. 

THE Saviour said to Nicodemus, " Ver- 
ily, I say unto thee, Except a man be 
born again he cannot see the kingdom of 
God. Ye must be born again. The carnal 
mind is enmity against God ; for it is not 
subject to the law of God, neither indeed 
can be." That is, as Jong as it remains a 
carnal mind, and minds the flesh instead 
of the spirit. When a sinner unreserv- 
edly gives his heart to the Saviour he 
becomes a new creature, and this enmity 
against God is completely slain and sub- 
dued. " If any man be in Christ he is a 
new creature — old things have passed 
awav and all things have become new." 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. 



29 



This is a great change which leads us to 
love the things we once hated, and to 
hate the things we once loved. Uncon- 
verted sinner, how can you expect to go 
to heaven while you remain in an uncon- 
verted state ? It would be impossible 
for you to be happy there, without pos- 
sessing a spirit which is congenial to that 
holy and happy place. Do you take 
pleasure in the society of devoted Chris- 
tians ? Is the holy Sabbath a delight to 
you ? Is the Bible the chief Book to you 
above all others ? Do you enjoy reli- 
gious conversation and prayer ? If not, 
it would be impossible for you to be 
happy in heaven, where it is one eternal 
Sabbath of rest. Where all the inhabi- 
tants continually worship him who sit- 
teth upon the throne, saying holy, holy, 
holy is the Lord God Almighty ! Heaven 



3Q THE UNCONVERTED 

is the dwelling place of a holy God, and 
of all holy beings. But if you do not 
love God and holiness you could not be 
happy there, because you do not possess 
the spirit and temper of that holy and 
happy place. Therefore, " You must be 
born again," or you can never enter 
heaven. I know you cannot change your 
own heart, but the Holy Spirit can. The 
Saviour died to purchase the gift of the 
spirit, and if you sincerely apply to the 
Saviour for the Holy Spirit he will freely 
bestow it upon you. O then earnestly 
pray that you may be born of the Spirit. 
Come to the Saviour with sincerity of 
heart, and petition him to create in you 
a new heart, and renew a right spirit 
within you. Think of the Saviour's bles- 
sed promise, " If ye, being evil, know 
how to give good gifts unto your chii- 



INVITED TO THE SAVIOUR. 



31 



dren, how much more shall your Heav- 
enly Father give the Holy Spirit to them 
that ask him." O then come to the Sa- 
viour for the influence of the Spirit with- 
out delay, 

" Delay not, delay not ; why longer abuse 

The love and compassion of Jesus thy God? 
A fountain is opened, how can'st thou refuse 
To wash and be cleansed in his pardoning 
blood ?" 



SECTION VII. 

COME TO THE SAVIOUR THAT YOU MAY RECEIVE 
THE JOYS OF ADOPTION. 

SOMETIMES people of ability take or- 
phan children and bring them up as 
their own; this is called adoption. So God 
adopts those who come to the Saviour as 
his children. " Ye shall be my sons and 
daughters saith the Lord Almighty." 
Then, " we have received the Spirit of 
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." 
Then can we truly say, " Our Father who 
art in heaven." He loves his adopted 
children with greater love than any 
earthly parent can possibly bestow. He 
becomes their teacher, protector and com- 
forter, throwing around them his ever- 
lasting arms of love. If he afflicts them 



INVITED TO THE SAVIOUR. 33 

it is for their spiritual benefit. " If ye 
endure chastening, God dealeth with you 
as with sons; for whom the Lord loveth 
he chasteneth." In your afflictions he 
will grant you the sweet consolations of 
his Holy Spirit." " Like as a father 
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth 
them that fear him." All their trials,, 
troubles and difficulties of every kind he 
will overrule for their best interest. "All 
things work together for good to thein that 
love God." He is ever present to protect 
and defend them from the assaults of Sa- 
tan and a wicked world. Thus he says : 
" Fear not ; for I have redeemed thee. I 
have called thee by my name ; thou art 
mine. When thou passest through the 
waters I will be with thee ; and through 
the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. 
I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." 



34 



THE UNCONVERTED 



They may make all their desires known 
to him. " In everything make known 
your requests unto God." His ear is 
even open to their sincere requests. " He 
is a prayer hearing and a prayer answer- 
ing God. He will provide for them an 
inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and 
that fadeth not away, eternal in the heav- 
ens." O what supreme happiness to be 
an adopted son or daughter of the Lord 
Almighty. Then all the powers of earth 
and hell united cannot destroy them. 
" If God is for them who can be against 
them?" He loves his adopted children 
with an everlasting love. And he will 
at last receive them into mansions of 
eternal glory. Sinner, will you become 
an adopted child of God, that you may 
be prepared to enter those mansions of 
glory prepared for his adopted children ? 



INVITED TO THE SA VIOUR. 



35 



Then come; O come to the Saviour that 
he may adopt you as one of his children ; 
ransomed by his precious blood. 

" Arise, my soul, arise ; 

Shake off thy guilty fears ; 
The bleeding sacrifice 

In my behalf appears ; 
Before the throne my surety stands, 
lAy name is written on his hands." 



SECTION VIII. 

COME TO THE SAVIOUR THAT YOU MAY BE RE- 
CEIVED INTO HEAVEN. 

AT the final judgment it will be said 
to those on the left hand: "These 
shall go away into everlasting punish- 
ment ;" and to those on the right hand, 
"but the righteous into life eternal. ,, 
God's love is so great to perishing sin- 



gg THE UNCONVERTED 

ners, that he sent his Son, not only to 
save them from hell, but to make them 
heirs of eternal happiness and glory. 
When the true follower of the Lord Jesus 
Christ departs this life his soul immedi- 
ately takes its flight to the Saviour to 
enjoy him forever. How pleasant and 
delightful is the description which the 
Bible gives of heaven, " God shall wipe 
away all tears from their eyes ; and there 
shall be no more death, neither sorrow 
nor crying; neither shall there be any 
more pain, for the former things are 
passed away." These words are true and 
faithful. Having the harps of God, they 
sing the song of Moses and the Lamb, 
saying " Great and marvellous are thy 
works, Lord God Almighty; just and 
true are thy ways, thou King of saints." 
Old age, weariness and decay will never 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. 37 

be known there, but the inhabitants ol 
heaven will forever bloom in immortal 
youth. Neither will sin be known there, 
but all the society of heaven will be filled 
with holy love to God and each other. 
All will rejoice in the society and happi- 
ness of one another. They will also en- 
joy the society of patriarchs, prophets, 
apostles and martyrs. There, too, we 
shall meet all the heavenly host, and be- 
hold our Saviour face to face, and enj oy his 
presence forever. " They shall obtain joy 
and gladness, and sighing shall flee away. 
Everlasting joy shall be upon their neads. 
[n his presence is fulness of joy, and at 
his right hand are pleasures for ever- 
more." The joys of earth, however flat- 
tering, are also fleeting. But the joys of 
heaven never cease, they continue to all 
eternity. Sinner, by coming to the 



38 



THE UNCONVERTED 



Saviour, you may for ever enjoy all the 
happiness that heaven bestows upon the 
saints in glory. The Saviour invites you 
to come. But if you will not come to 
him you can never enter heaven. How- 
ever great a sinner you may be, come to 
the Saviour, then a heaven of eternal 
glory and happiness will be yours. 

" In the Christian's home in glory, 
There remains a land of rest, 
There my Saviour's gone before me, 
To fulfill my soul's request." 



SECTION IX. 

COME TO THE SAVIOUR, HE IS A SYMPATHISING" 
FRIEND. 

THE Lord Jesus Christ, though equal 
with God, took upon him the form of 
a servant, and was made in the likeness 
of man, and was found in fashion as a 
man. He was " a man of sorrows and 
acquainted with grief." As man, he 
obeyed the law, which we had broken, 
and suffered and died, that we might 
escape the penalty of the law we justly 
merited for violating its precept. He 
became man, and through his sufferings 
we are assured he can sympathise with 
us. The Apostle, in speaking of this 
subject, says : " In that he himself hath 



40 THE UNCONVERTED 

suffered, being tempted, he is able to suc- 
cor them that are tempted;" and, "We 
have not a high priest which cannot be 
touched with the feeling of our infirmi- 
ties, but was in all points tempted as we 
are." Think then of the Saviour as a 
sympathising friend. How deeply he 
sympathized with the weeping widow of 
Nain. " When he came nigh to the gate 
of the city of Nain, behold there was a 
dead man carried out, the only son of his 
mother, and she was a widow ; when the 
Lord saw her he had compassion on her, 
and said unto her, weep not. And he 
came and touched the bier : and they that 
bare him stood still. And he said, young 
man, I say unto thee arise. And he that 
was dead sat up and began to speak. 
And he delivered him to his mother.' , 
The Saviour also sympathised with Mar- 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. 



41 



tha and Mary, who were mourning on 
account of the death of their brother. 
He wept at the grave of Lazarus. How 
his tender sympathies were displayed in 
healing the sick, causing the deaf to hear 
and opening the eyes of the blind. He 
is still the same tender, loving, compas- 
sionate and sympathising Saviour, who 
is now saying to you, fellow sinner, 
"Come unto me." Listen to his kind 
invitation. He is God as well as man, 
and abundantly able to save you. O 
treat not this tender, loving, compassion- 
ate Friend with indifference. Let your 
heart break and melt into contrition, un- 
der his loving kindness. Come to this 
luring Saviour and rely on him as God, 
your Almighty Saviour and eternal friend. 
That the Saviour is God as well as man 
is evident from the Holy Scriptures : " In 



42 THE UNCONVERTED 



the beginning was the Word, and the 
Word was with God, and the Word was 
God. All things were made by him, and 
without him was not anything made that 
was made. And the Word was made 
flesh and dwelt among us." The Saviour, 
in speaking of himself, said: "Before 
Abraham was, I am." He undoubtedly 
had reference to his existence, and " glory 
which he had with the Father before the 
world began." We are informed that he 
is "the brightness of the Father's glory, 
the image of the invisible God. God 
manifest in the flesh ; the same yesterday, 
to-day and forever; also in him dwelleth 
the fullness of the Godhead bodily." The 
Saviour, therefore, is God ; possessing 
the same attributes of God the Father. 
Being an unchangeable Saviour, he will 
be perfectly faithful to all his promises. 






INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. 



43 



He is, sinner, just such a Saviour as you 
need. He is able to overcome every dan- 
ger that besets you. His grace will be 
sufficient for you in every circumstance 
in life in which you may be placed. He 
is God our Saviour, able to save unto the 
uttermost all who will come unto him. 
" If God be for us who can be against us/' 
Then, fellow sinner, commit the keeping 
of your precious soul to him, who is so 
abundantly able, ready and willing to 
save you. He calls, he invites you to 
come. Will you come that he may speak 
peace to your troubled soul, and that he 
may bestow upon you the joys of salva- 
tion. 

" While God invites, how blest the day ! 

How sweet the Gospel's charming sound ! 
Come, sinners, haste, O haste away, 
While yet a pardoning God is found." 



SECTION X. 

COME TO HIM AS THE ONLY SAVIOUR. 

THE Lord Jesus Christ is the only Sa- 
viour. " Neither is there salvation 
in any other ; for there is none other 
name under heaven given among men, 
whereby we must be saved." God is 
merciful, but his mercy must be obtained 
through the merits of our Lord and Sa- 
viour. Then, if you reject the Saviour, 
you reject all hope of mercy. The only 
way you can receive mercy is by coming 
to the Saviour. Your good works, how- 
ever well performed, cannot save you ; 
they cannot atone for your past sins. 
The apostle says : " By the works of the 
law shall no flesh be justified." If we 
could be saved by our own merits and 



INVITED TO THE SA VIOUR. 45 

righteousness, why was it necessary for 
Christ to die ? We could have saved our- 
selves by our own works. Trust not 
to your own works of righteousness. 
Nothing but the righteousness and death 
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ can 
save from sin and hell. Some undoubt- 
edly think because they have attended to 
all the outward forms of religion they 
will be saved. Many who have attended 
to these external forms are now lost for- 
ever. You may keep the Sabbath, read the 
Scriptures, attend the church and be bap- 
tised, and even partake of the sacrament. 
All these things cannot save you. None 
but the Saviour can save you. Some rely 
upon the priest for salvation. This a 
great mistake. The priest himself cannot 
be saved without a Saviour. He cannot 
even save his own soul ; how then can he 



46 THE UNCONVERTED 

save yours ? The Saviour only can give 
absolution. His blood alone can cleanse 
you from sin. Neither saints or angels, 
or the Virgin Mary can save a soul. The 
Bible is perfectly clear on this subject. 
" There is one mediator between God and 
men, the man Christ Jesus. Neither is 
there salvation in any other; for there is 
none other name under heaven given 
among men whereby we must be saved." 
Trust, then, to none but the Saviour. He 
only can pardon and bestow mercy. He 
invites you to come to him and receive 
the pardon of your sins. No one can 
help you but the Saviour. All are in- 
vited to come. The high and the low, 
the rich and the poor, the bond and the 
free, are alike welcome. He alone can 
give rest to your troubled soul. He 
says: "Come unto me all ye that are 



INVITED TO THE SA VIOUR. 



47 



weary and are heavy laden and I will 
give you rest." He will save every sin- 
ner who heartily comes to him. He says : 
" He that cometh to me I will in no wise 
cast out." 

" To-day the Saviour calls ; 
For refuge fly ; 
The storm of Justice falls, 
And death is nigh." 



SECTION XI. 

COME TO THE SAVIOUR BECAUSE HIS LOVE IS 
GREAT. 

"pREATER love hath no man than 
^J this, that a man lay down his life 
for his friends. ,, Why did the Saviour 
leave the mansions of eternal bliss and 
glory to dwell in this sinful, wicked 



48 THE UNCONVERTED 

world ; and finally to die the most agon- 
izing death upon the cross ? It was love 
— a love that was stronger than the death 
of the cross ? So great is his love to his 
enemies. " While we were yet sinners 
Christ died for us." While here on earth 
he continually manifested his love in 
various ways, by going about and doing 
good to all classes of men. He was truly 
the Friend of perishing sinners. How 
deeply he felt for Jerusalem, saying, " O, 
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the 
prophets, and stonest them that are sent 
unto thee, how often would I have gath- 
ered thy children together, as a hen doth 
gather her brood under her wings, and 
ye would not !" And when he was come 
near he beheld the city and wept over it, 
saying, " If thou hadst known, even thou, 
at least in this thy day, the things which 



INVITED TO THE SAVIOUR. 49 

unto thy peace ! but now they are 
hid from thine eyes." When expiring on 
the cross, how his love flowed out to the 
penitent thief, saying, " This day shalt 
thou be with me in Paradise." He also 
prayed earnestly for those who mocked 
aud crucified him : " Father, forgive them.,, 
for the^ kpow not what they do." Jesus 
could have Ce^iec! ^e his aid more than 
twelve legions of angc.s t '* But how 
then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that 
thus it must be." If he had not died and 
shed his blood on Calvary we could not 
have been saved. His love was so strong 
for the salvation of souls that he freely 
shed his blood that they might be saved. 
And now, with all the love of a compas- 
sionate Saviour, he sits at the right hand of 
his Father, interceding in behalf of guilty, 
perishing sinners. He sends his Spirit 



5() THE UNCONVERTED 

to call after you, to incline you to accept 
a pardon purchased by his precious blood. 
O what matchless love ! He died to re- 
deem you from the power and influence 
of sin and Satan, and to save you from 
hell, and make you happy in heaven for- 
ever. O beware how you reject this lov- 
ing, gracious Saviour ! Come to him 
now with all your heart that you may be 
saved. Listen to the call of the Spirit 



now. 



"The Spirit calls to-day: 
Yield to his power ; 
O, grieve him not away : 
Tis mercy's hour." 



SECTION XII. 

COME THAT YOU MAY FIND THE SAVIOUR. 

JOB said, " Oh that I knew where I 
might find him, that I might come 
even to his seat." Fellow sinner, is this 
your language ? Do you really desire to 
find the Saviour. He has ascended to 
heaven, and there in all his glory he is wait- 
ing to be gracious to all those who will 
come to him. Let your request be made 
known unto him by prayer and supplica- 
tion. He will listen to your broken- 
hearted prayers with the kindest atten- 
tion. Remember that the Saviour is also 
on earth. Being God, he is everywhere 
present. He said to his disciples, " Lo ! I 
am with you always even unto the end 
of the world." In life, in health, in sick- 



52 THE UNCONVERTED 

ness, in death, Jesus is present to bestow 
all needed grace. Whenever the sinner 
confesses his sins with a broken heart 
and contrite spirit, the Saviour is present, 
saying, " Be of good cheer, thy sins are 
forgiven thee; go in peace." Wherever 
his people are assembled for prayer and 
praise the Saviour is present to hear their 
supplications. " Wherever two or three 
are gathered together in my name there 
am I in the midst of them." Sinner, he 
is near you continually. He invites you 
to come to him. He is not a Saviour 
afar off, but is so near that he knocks at 
the door of your heart for admittance. 
Wherever you may go he is present with 
you, ready to bestow the choice blessings 
of salvation upon you freely. He is ever 
present to do you good. When you lie 
down to rest at night, and when you rise 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. 53 

in the morning, and when you go in and 
out during the day, he is constantly pres- 
ent, calling you to come to him, that your 
soul may be saved. He is ever present 
to hear your supplications for the pardon 
of your sins. Trust in him then as a 
present Saviour, who is ready before you 
call to answer, and, while you are yet 
speaking, to hear. Sinner, wherever you 
may be, whether at home or abroad in far 
distant lands, he says, " Ye shall seek me, 
and find me, when ye shall search for me 
with all your heart." The Saviour calls, 
invites and entreats you to come to him. 
Will you come and share in the blessings 
of salvation offered you ? 

' How gladly does Jesus free pardon impart 
To all who receive him by faith in their heart ; 
No evil befalls them, their home is above, 
And Jesus throws round them the arms of his 
love." 



SECTION XIII. 

DO YOU INQUIRE HOW YOU CAN COME TO THE 
SAVIOUR. 

VTOU say that the Bible informs you 
J- that the Saviour ascended to heaven* 
but how can I go there to find him ? I 
am also informed that he is everywhere, 
but he is invisible ; I cannot see him, how 
then can I come to him ? If he was only 
here upon earth, as he once was, sur- 
rounded by his disciples and followers, I 
would put forth every effort in my power; 
neither time nor expense should hinder 
me from going to him. I would fall sub- 
missively at his feet, saying, " Lord Jesus, 
save me or I perish." But he is no longer 
here upon earth, what then is meant by 
coming to him ? Do this in your heart, 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. gg 

then will you come to the Saviour with 
full purpose of soul, and he will receive 
you as a penitent sinner, and save you 
from sin and the wrath to come. The 
Saviour knows your true condition and 
your need of salvation. Call to him as 
did blind Bartimeus, although he did not 
see him, but cried out, "Jesus, thou Son 
of David, have mercy on me." The 
Saviour is always present and ready to 
hear your call ; though he may be invisi- 
ble to you, he sees you and knows the 
real desire of your heart after him. Com- 
ing to the Saviour is the full desire of 
your heart, to receive him as your only 
Saviour. It is to feel your true condition 
as a sinner ; to believe that he is abund- 
antly able and willing to pardon and save 
you. To consecrate yourself unreserv- 
edly to his service. To be willing that 



56 



THE UNCONVERTED 



he should rule in and reign over you for 
time and eternity. Come then with deep 
repentance and full purpose of soul to 
the Saviour, and he will pardon and save 
you from sin and the pangs of the second 
death. He says, " He that cometh unto 
me I will in no wise cast out." Come to 
the Saviour then with all your heart. 

" But will He prove a friend indeed ? 
He will — the very Friend you need : 
The Friend of sinners — yes, 'tis He, 
With garments dyed on Calvary." 



SECTION XIV. 

COME TO THE SAVIOUR BY EARNEST PRAYER. 

ALTHOUGH you cannot see God 
your Saviour, you may approach him 
by prayer. How interesting the thought 
that we are permitted to call upon God 
for all needed blessings. He is " a prayer 
hearing and a prayer answering God.' 
We are commanded ki to watch and pray/ 
Prayer is the simple utterance of your 
heart's desire to God, Your heart's de- 
sire may go out to God in prayer even 
while you are attending to your daily 
avocations. The Saviour is ever ready 
to hear the prayers of needy sinners. His 
ear is always open to their requests. The 
sinner may come to him who is the King 
of kings and Lord of lords, however poor 



58 THE UNCONVERTED 

and despised he may be. Pray to the 
Saviour for a new heart and for every 
spiritual blessing which you need. Pray 
with a broken heart and contrite spirit. 
Such prayer will not be in vain, but will 
be answered. He will listen to the poor 
sinner's broken-hearted prayer. The Sa- 
viour says, " Ask, and it shall be given 
you; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and 
it shall be opened to you. For every one 
that asketh receiveth ; and he that seek- 
eth findeth ; and to him that knocketh it 
shall be opened." His promises are sure. 
They are as firm and fixed as the pillars 
of his eternal throne. Then be encour- 
aged to call on the Saviour by earnest 
prayer. Pray if you can only say, " God 
be merciful to me a sinner." "Save, 
Lord, or I perish." Tell him you are a 
wretched, undone sinner. Confess your 



INVITED TO THE SAVIOUR. 



59 



sins unreservedly, and beseech him for 
pardon. Pray for the converting influ- 
ence of the Holy Spirit. " He is more 
ready to give the influence of his Holy 
Spirit to them that ask hinVthan parents 
are to give good gifts to their children. 
O then, be earnest in prayer till you re- 
ceive the blessings of a free and full par- 
don of all your sins. 

" Lord, in thee I now believe ; 
Wilt thou, wilt thou not forgive ? 
Helpless at thy feet I lie ; 
Saviour, leave me not to die." 



SECTION XV. 

COME BOLDLY TO THE THRONE OF GRACE. 

IT is astonishing that sinful creatures, 
as we are, should be permitted to call 
upon God, who is infinitely holy, and 
cannot look upon sin with any allowance 
of approbation. How wonderful, under 
such circumstances, that we are encour- 
aged in his word to come " boldly to the 
throne of grace." This encouragement 
does not mean that we are to present 
ourselves before God in prayer, without 
due reverence and deep humility; but 
that we are to approach " the throne of 
grace," with child-like confidence, that 
God will hear and answer our prayers. 
There are many instances of answers to 
prayer recorded in the Bible. Elijah 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. g| 

prayed, and the sacrifice was consumed 
with fire. The disciples prayed on the 
day of Pentecost, and the Holy Spirit 
descended upon them with great power. 
The Church prayed for Peter when con- 
fined in prison, and an angel delivered 
him. The Syrophenician woman prayed 
for her daughter, who was grievously 
vexed with a devil, and she was made 
whole from that hour. Paul and Silas 
prayed when in prison, and the founda- 
tions of the prison were shaken by an 
earthquake, through which they were 
liberated. When we pray for those bles- 
sings which are according to the will 
of God, such as pardon and salvation 
through the merits of Christ, we may be 
assured that we shall receive an answer. 
"If we ask anything according to God's 
wi 11 he heareth us. Ask and it shall be 



g2 THE UNCONVERTED INVITED. 

given. Whatsoever ye shall ask in my 
name, that will I do." The Saviour inter- 
cedes for us. He is our Advocate with the 
Father, and he always prevails, in behalf 
of those who commit their cause to him. 
Jesus ever lives to make intercession for 
us. Trembling sinner, trust in the Sa- 
viour, who careth for you. Commit the 
keeping of your soul to him, he is an 
Almighty Saviour. 

11 How would my fainting soul rejoice, 
Could I but see thy face ; 
Now let me hear thy quickening voice, 
And taste thy pardoning grace." 



SECTION XVI. 

COME TO THE SAVIOUR IN FAITH. 

IT is by faith that we are justified. 
Faith is simple trust and confidence 
in Jesus ; it is committing of the soul to 
the Saviour, with a child-like confidence 
that he is able to save to the uttermost. 
We know that little children have confi- 
dence in their parents and believe what 
they say. So you must believe in the 
Saviour that, by his death and sufferings, 
he has purchased a free and full pardon 
for you, that you may be saved. " I have 
freely shed my blood to obtain your par- 
don and salvation. If you will obey my 
commandments and trust your soul to 
my keeping, I will save you from sin and 
hell. Come unto me — trust in me — be- 



64 



THE UNCONVERTED 



lieve in me with all your heart and you 
shall be saved." How plain and simple 
is the way of salvation. Faith in the Sa- 
viour who died for you secures your sal- 
vation. Believe and escape for your life 
to the Saviour; to neglect doing this is 
fearfully dangerous. Said the Apostle : 
"How shall we escape if we neglect so 
great salvation." Fellow sinner, I en- 
treat you no longer to neglect securing 
an interest in the Saviour. With lull 
purpose of soul, come to the Saviour and 
he will receive and save you with an 
everlasting salvation. Trust in him now 
with all your heart. " Come unto me all 
ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I 
will give you rest." Believe that he will 
certainly do what he has promised. Go 
to the Saviour immediately, saying, 
" Lord, I believe ; help thou mine unbe- 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. gg 

lief." Tell him that you wholly surren- 
der yourself to him, believing that he is 
able to save to the uttermost. In thee 
will I trust. To thee will I commit the 
keeping of my soul. Blessed Saviour, 
rule in and reign over me. I will be thine 
for time and eternity. 

• "Jesus, we come at thy command ; 

With faith, and hope, and humble zeal, 
Resign our spirits to thy hand, 
To mould and guide us at thy will." 



SECTION XVII. 

COME TO THE SAVIOUR JUST AS YOU ARE. 

SINNERS often think they must try 
to make themselves better before 
coming to the Saviour. I am so great a 
sinner, how can I come ? I am utterly 



gg THE UNCONVERTED 

unfit to approach the Saviour. All your 
.efforts to make yourself better, and thus 
-hoping to recommend yourself to him 
will be unavailing. Your being a great 
sinner shows your need of a Saviour. 
Remember Jesus came into the world to 
save just such sinners as you are. He 
says : " I came not to call the righteous, 
but shiners to repentance." That is, those 
who think themselves righteous in their 
own estimation; such self-righteous per- 
sons will never be received by the Sa- 
viour. We must come without any merit 
of our own to recommend us. We must 
come to him feeling that we are great 
sinners. We must come feeling that 
Jesus only can save us. We have broken 
God's Holy Law in thought, word and 
deed. We have resisted the strivings of 
the Spirit, and rejected the Saviour. 



INVITED TO THE SA VIOUR. QJ 

Then to come to the Saviour pretending 
that we are righteous is wickedly mock- 
ing him. We must not come feeling 
that we are " rich and increased in 
goods, and have need of nothing, but 
we must come feeling that we are poor 
and miserable, and blind and naked." 
We must come confessing our sins and 
imworthiuess ; like the publican, who 
would not so much as lift up his eyes to 
heaven, but smote upon his breast, say- 
ing, " God be merciful to me a sinner !" 
He went down to his house justified, 
rather than the self-righteous Pharisee. 
If you would be received by the Saviour, 
go to him in the same spirit as the publi- 
can did, saying, " God be merciful to me 
a sinner." You have no merits or wor- 
thiness of your own to plead. Your 
whole soul is stained with your numer- 



gg THE UNCONVERTED 

ous sins, and all the effort you can put 
forth will not cleanse or wash away a 
single sin. It is the blood of Christ 
alone that can cleanse you from sin. You 
cannot make yourself any better, thus 
thinking to recommend yourself to his 
acceptance. You must surrender your- 
self to the Saviour in order to become 
better ; without his grace bestowed upon 
you, you never will become any better. 
Your first duty is to come to the Saviour 
with all your heart. Delay not another 
moment, vainly thinking that you can 
make yourself better. The Saviour in- 
vites you to come just as you are. The 
Saviour knows all about you, just how 
wicked and sinful you are. Yet he does 
not say delay a little until you become 
more worthy. But he says come now ; 
" Now is the accepted time, and now is 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. fiQ 

the day of salvation." Come to the Sa- 
viour as a guilty sinner. Come just as 
you are. Away with every excuse, and 
unreservedly surrender your heart to the 
Saviour, and he will give rest to your 
troubled soul. 

"Just as I am, and waiting not 
To rid my soul of one dark blot — 
To thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, 
O Lamb oi God, I come, I come." 



SECTION XVIII. 

BUT 1 AM SO UNWORTHY I CANNOT COME 
ARIGHT TO THE SAVIOUR. 

THE salvation of the Gospel is a free, 
unmerited gift, and not a reward. 
The best saint that ever lived is not wor- 
thy. Even Matthew, Mark, Luke, John 



70 THE UNCONVERTED 

and Paul, the great Apostle of the Gen- 
tiles, were not worthy ; but they received 
salvation as an unmerited gift. The 
Saviour is so full of tender compassion 
and love that, however unworthy you are, 
he invites ypu to come to him. u Though 
your sins be as scarlet," — come; "they 
shall be as white as snow ; though they 
be red like crimson," — come ; " they shall 
be as wool." The Saviour knows how 
great a sinner you are; yet he invites 
you to come unto him. How unreasona- 
ble tnen for you to refuse eternal life, 
tendered to you by the compassionate 
Saviour, because you are unworthy. 
However unworthy you are, "he wiii in 
no wise cast you out." Come then with 
all your heart, renouncing all your sins, 
and with a full purpose of soul conse- 
crate yourself to the Saviour, who shed 



INVITED TO THE SA VIOUR. ^| 

his precious blood that you might be 
saved. Obey the command of God to 
" Cast away from you all your transgres- 
sions, and make you a new heart and a 
new spirit. Turn ye from your evil 
ways. Repent and believe the Gospel. 
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and 
thou shalt be saved. Ask and it shall be 
given you; seek and ye shall find ; knock 
and it shall be opened unto you. Draw 
nigh to God and he will draw nigh to 
you. Him that cometh to me I will in 
no wise cast out." Obey these plain 
commands of God and your salvation is 
certain. Do you feel that you are a sin- 
ner ? " Surely I feel that I am a great 
sinner." The Saviour "came not to call 
the righteous, but sinners to repentance." 
He came to save sinners. He says, 
" Whosoever will let him take the waters 



72 THE UNCONVERTED INVITED. 

of life freely." His invitations are so 
plain that you cannot mistake them. 
" Come unto me all ye that labor and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 
Are you heavy laden with sin ? Then 
come to the blessed Saviour and your 
salvation is sure. Come to the Saviour 
with a broken heart and he will receive 
you. But if you stay away and refuse to 
come you will for ever perish. 

" Jesus, we come at thy command ; 

With faith, and hope, and humble zeal, 
Resign our spirits to thy hand, 

To mould and guide us at thy will." 



SECTION XIX. 

IF I ONLY HAD FAITH THAT MY SINS WERE 
FORGIVEN. 

MANY say they know the time when 
they found salvation and received 
the forgiveness of their sins; that they 
have the witness within them ; that they 
have passed from death unto life, and have 
found peace, but I have not. I do not 
feel my sins forgiven, and am not sure 
that I have received salvation. I am so 
full of doubts and fears, without faith, 
that I fear the Saviour will not receive 
me." Do not confound faith and assur- 
ance, which are two very different things. 
It is very comfortable and consoling to 
feel sure that your sins are pardoned, and 
that you are an heir of heaven; but it is 



74 



THE UNCONVERTi 



possible that you may not feel all this, 
and yet possess faith. Faith is coming 
to the Saviour as a sinner, and trusting 
to him alone for salvation. Assurance is 
feeling perfectly sure that we are saved. 
They are very different things. Faith is 
necessary for salvation, but assurance is 
not. Some may possess an assurance 
which is built upon a false foundation 
while they are wholly destitute of faith ; 
and some also may have genuine faith, 
but do not possess assurance. Suppose 
you are at sea, and are overtaken by a 
tremendous storm, and soon you become 
shipwrecked ; you are holding on to a 
part of the wreck over which the waves 
are constantly dashing, and with each 
succeeding wave you are expecting to be 
engulphed in the foaming sea. A life- 
boat; securely built, which cannot sink, 



INVITED TO THE SAVIOUR. 



75 



and is so skillfully managed by the wreck- 
ers that they never fail to bring it safe to 
shore, comes out to your relief. They 
invite you to enter the life-boat as quick 
as possible. You are well aware that the 
wreck upon which you are holding w T ill 
soon be dashed to pieces by the fury ot 
the waves. You see your only hope is in 
the life-boat, and you believe it will take 
you safely to the shore. You leap into 
it without delay. But as each successive 
wave tosses it about fearfully, you are 
alarmed and filled with fear, which con- 
tinues until you reach the shore. Com- 
mitting yourself to the life-boat was 
faith ; possessing fear while you was in 
it yras the want of assurance that you 
tfould safely arrive at the shore. Al- 
though you had so many doubts and 
fears about your safe arrival, you were as 



7fj THE UNCONVERTED 

safe as the wreckers who had not the 
least fear. Your fears did not endanger 
your safe arrival, but destroyed your 
peace. You are in a tremendous storm, 
surrounded by the winds and waves of 
Divine justice on account of your aggra- 
vated sins. The Divine law pours its 
curses upon you. Hell awaits your eter- 
nal overthrow. The Saviour represents 
the life-boat. He comes to you in tender 
compassion and invites you at once to 
forsake every vain refuge, which is as 
dangerous as a sinking wreck, and to 
commit yourself unreservedly to him. 
Committing yourself to the Saviour and 
trusting to him alone is faith, though you 
may have doubts and fears often, on ac- 
count of sin, and think you are not safe. 
Having committed yourself to an Al- 
mighty Saviour who is able to save unto 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. >yiy 

the uttermost all who will come unto him ; 
then, trembling believer, take courage, 
and let your earnest prayer be, " Save, 
Lord, or I perish." Trusting in the Sa- 
viour with a child-like confidence, and 
committing the keeping of your soul 
unto Him is saving faith. " Believe in 
the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be 
saved." No one can perish who thus 
confidently commits himself to the Sa- 
viour. 

" Lord, in thee I now believe ; 

Wilt thou, wilt thou not forgive ? 
Helpless at thy feet I lie, 

Saviour, leave me not to die." 



SECTION XX. 

THE YOUTHFUL ARE INVITED TO COME TO THE 
SAVIOUR* 

LET me earnestly invite you to give 
your early years to the blessed Sa- 
viour. Listen to the precious promise: 
" Those that seek me early shall find me." 
There is great encouragement to the 
young to come to the Saviour before 
they become hardened in sin and iniquity. 
But perhaps you say there is time enough 
yet ; that you wish to enjoy the world a 
little longer ; or that you are too young 
to become a follower of the Saviour. 
His invitation to the young is to seek 
him early and they shall find him. Al- 



us SITED TO THE SA VI OUR. 79 

though you are young you are a great 
sinner and need a Saviour. Though 
young you may soon die, and be lost for 
ever. You may not live to mature age. 
A great many die as young as you. How 
many instances have we of the young de- 
parting this life, often unexpectedly and 
without warning. Death may be even 
now at your door. Oh then come to the 
Saviour without delay. Do not think that 
coming to the Saviour will render you 
unhappy. To embrace him as your only 
Saviour will make you truly happy. 
Those people who are truly pious will 
tell you that there is more real happiness 
in true piety than in all the sinful pleas- 
ures this world can afford. If you come 
to the Saviour you will find this is per- 
fectly true. The Saviour has an infinite 
storehouse of happiness to bestow upon 



80 



THE UNCONVERTED 



his followers, while the sinful pleasures 
of this world are vanity and vexation of 
spirit. Beware how you reject the Sa- 
viour ! Dare you live another day reject- 
ing his offer of mercy? He commands 
you now to repent. To disobey his com- 
mands is rebellion against him. Every 
day you put off repentance is a renewal 
of your rebellion against the Saviour, 
and is treasuring up wrath against the 
day of wrath. Perhaps you say, when I 
become old then I will repent. You may 
not live to see old age. But suppose 
you do, have you any warrant that God 
will aid you then by his spirit to repent? 
If you take the ground that, while in 
youth, you will serve Satan, and put off 
the service of God till you are near death, 
have you any reason to believe that God 
will grant you his Holy Spirit under such 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. gj 

provoking circumstances ? Is not this 
grieving the Spirit of God ? And should 
you live to become old you may have no 
disposition to repent. Oh ! how few, how 
very few are converted in old age. If 
you do not come to the Saviour in your 
youth there is great reason to fear that you 
will never come at all. Sinful habits and 
Satan are winding their subtle coils around 
you every day. While you are putting 
off the day of repentance Satan is busy 
securing you within his wily folds, with 
the full expectation of making you his 
certain prey. " Remember now your 
Creator in the days of your youth." Dis- 
appoint the wily machinations of Satan, 
the great adversary of your soul, by com- 
ing with all your heart without delay to 
the Saviour. He will protect you from 
the power and dominion of sin and Satan, 



g2 THE UNCONVERTED INVITED. 

and secure unto you eternal life and 

salvation. 

" Ye young, before his throne, 

Come bow ; your voices raise ; 
Let not your hearts his praise disown 
Who gives the power to praise." 



SECTION XXI. 

THOSE WHO ARE ADVANCING IN LIFE AND THE 
AGED ARE INVITED TO COME TO THE SAVIOUR. 

YOU, in the journey of life, have passed 
from youth to more mature years, 
and perhaps have arrived at the summit, 
and are now going down the declivity of 
life ; and the place which now knows you 
will know you no more forever. Per- 
haps you are earnestly engaged in what 
you consider the necessary labors of life, 
and are entirely absorbed in the love of 
gain. But let me entreat you to remem- 






INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. §3 

ber the " one thing needful." The salva- 
tion of your precious soul is the one 
thing needful. You may do without all 
things else, but you cannot do without 
the Saviour. You have been engaged all 
your days in the affairs of this life, but 
have not sought the Saviour. The great 
business of life you have not even begun. 
Everything else dwindles into insignifi- 
cance compared with an interest in the 
Saviour. The time is not far distant 
when it will be of no consequence 
whether you were rich or poor ; but it 
will be a matter of great importance 
whether you come to the Saviour or re- 
ject him. Only think how many friends, 
neighbors and acquaintances have died 
around you. But God's forbearance has 
spared you to the present time, but that 
forbearance may soon expire, and his 



84 



THE UNCONVERTED 



command go forth to cut you down as a 
cumberer of the ground. My aged friend, 
your gray hairs admonish you that you 
are fast passing onward to that bourne 
from whence no traveler returns. Soon 
you will pass from this stage of action to 
a future world. Are you prepared to 
meet God ? Are you prepared to stand 
at the judgment seat of Christ to render 
an account of the deeds done in the body? 
What account have you to render of 
your past long life ? Is it how many 
Sabbaths you have desecrated ? How 
many invitations of the Gospel you have 
neglected ? How frequently you have 
rejected the Saviour ? How often you 
have resisted the spirit and slighted the 
offers of mercy? How very great is your 
guilt in the sight of God ! You have 
lived so long in sin that you have har- 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. Qg 

dened your heart and rendered your case 
more difficult. Let me entreat you not 
to continue in this state any longer ; but 
at once to renounce your sins and come 
to the Saviour without delay. Though 
you have refused so long, yet the Spirit 
calls you, and the Saviour still invites 
you to come unto him. O, then come 
now to the Saviour ! Death is near, and 
the solemn judgment follows, and the 
final sentence, Depart. Delay not another 
moment. Come now to the Saviour. He 
will receive and save you. Will you 
come to him ? 

" Fruitless years with grief recalling, 

Humbly I confess my sin ; 
At thv feet, O Father, falling, 

To thy household take me in. 
Freely now to thee I proffer 

This relenting heart of mine ; 
Freely life and soul I offer — 

Gift unworthy love like thine." 



SECTION XXII. 

!? 

THE DESPAIRING SINNER INVITED TO COME TO 
THE SAVIOUR. 

ARE you in a despairing state of mind 
and imagine that you have sinned 
away your day of grace, by stifling your 
convictions and living in highhanded re- 
bellion against God, so that there is no 
mercy or pardon for you ? Remember God 
has said, " Though your sins be as scar- 
let, they shall be as white as snow. As 
I live I have no pleasure in the death of 
the wicked, but that the wicked turn 
from his way and live : turn ye, turn ye, 
from your evil ways; for why will ye 
die ?" The Saviour is able to save to 
the uttermost all who will come unto 



INVITED TO THE SA VIOUR. ftj 

him, however great sinners they may 
have been. The Apostle says: "Jesus 
Christ came into the world to save sin- 
ners, of whom I am chief" He saved a 
persecuting SauL; he can also save yon. 
Does your anxiety arise from the fear 
that you have committed the unpardona- 
ble sin ? That you are anxious on that 
account it is self-evident that you have 
not committed it. No one will feel deeply 
who has committed that sin, but will 
possess a hard, obdurate heart. The fact 
that you feel deeply solicitous about the 
salvation of your soul is evidence that you 
have not committed the unpardonable 
sin, but that the Saviour is calling after 
you by the influence of his Holy Spirit. 
The Saviour says : " Him that cometh to 
me I will in no wise cast out." The 
blessed Saviour will turn no one away 



gg THE UXCOXVERTED I XVI TED. 

who comes to him with a broken heart 
and contrite spirit. Do you say that you 
feel that you are lost ? You are one that 
the Saviour came to save. He came to 
save those who feel themselves lost — to 
save you. O, will you come to the 
Saviour now ? 

** My terrors all vanished before his sweet name ; 
My guilty fears banished, with boldness I came 
To drink at the fountain, so copious and free? 
Jehovah, my Saviour, is all things to me. 

" Jehovah, the Lord, is my treasure and boast ; 
Jehovah, my Saviour — I ne'er can be lost ; 
In thee I shall conquer, by liood and by field, 
Jehovah my anchor. Jehovah ci) shield f 









SECTION XXIII. 

EVERY DAY THAT YOU DEFER COMING TO THE 
SAVIOUR WILL RENDER IT MORE DIFFICULT 
TO COME. 

THE tendency of continuing in sin is 
hardening in its effect. To defer re- 
pentance to a future time is a delusion 
of the adversary of your soul, and is ex- 
tremely hazardous. Serious impressions 
often wear off by not being acted upon 
at the time. And a repetition of these 
impressions are more easily worn off by 
not being acted upon ; and the -heart be- 
comes hard and callous to the solemn 
truths of the Gospel until they are heard 
with entire indifference. The Saviour 
says : " Behold I stand at the door and 



90 THE UNCONVERTED 

knock." He knocks by his Word, by 
his Spirit, by his providential dealings 
with you, either in sickness or the death 
of dear friends. His knock at first alarms 
you, but if you do not open the door of 
your heart and let the Heavenly Messen- 
ger in, his knock will ere long cease to 
arouse you any more, and you will be 
left to your own chosen course, which 
leads to hell. The danger of losing your 
soul increases every moment you defer to 
act. Act now with full decision to corne 
to the Saviour, and escape the awful 
doom that awaits you. Death may be at 
your door. But the Saviour is near to 
save you, if you will trust him and com- 
mit yourself wholly to him. He invites 
you to come to him. It is your only 
hope to lay hold of him by faith. Come 
now with fuii decision, saying, u Lord 



INVITED TO THE SA VIOUR. 



91 



Jesus, I surrender myself unreservedly 

to thee." Come to the Saviour now — 

to-morrow may be too late. 

44 When the harvest is past and the summer is gone; 
And sermons and prayers shall be o'er ; 
When the beams cease to break of the sweet 
Sabbath morn, 
And Jesus invites thee no more ; 
When the rich gales of mercy no longer shall 
blow, 
The Gospel no message declare ; 
Sinner, how canst thou bear the deep wailings 
of woe, 
How suffer the night of despair !" 



SECTION XXIV. 

COME IMMEDIATELY TO THE SAVIOUR, TO-MOR- 
ROW MAY BE TOO LATE. 

""ROAST not thyself of to-morrow, 

-L* for thou knowest not what a day 

may bring forth." You say, like Felix, 

" Go thy way for this time ; when I have 



92 THE UNCONVERTED 

a convenient season I will call for thee."' 
Putting off this important subject ruins 
a multitude of souls. Satan takes great 
pleasure in having you defer the salva- 
tion of your soul to some future time, 
that he may lead you captive at his will 
down to the chambers of the second 
death." The Holy Ghost saith : "To- 
day if ye will hear his voice, harden not 
your hearts." But Satan very subtly 
whispers in your ear, " Not to-day, but 
to-morrow." Satan is never willing that 
you should attend to the salvation of 
your soul at the present time. He desires 
you to put it off from day to day until it 
is forever too late. What a multitude 
are deceived in this way who at last go 
down to hell. Perhaps you think it will 
be time enough to repent when your last 
sickness overtakes you. But a sick-bed 



INVITED TO THE SA VIOUR. 



93 



is not the place to exercise repentance 
and faith. When disease and pain dis- 
tract the mind, and the body becomes en- 
feebled, you are not in a state to act 
understanding^ upon the important sub- 
ject of the salvation of the soul. The 
cases are very few where a true, genuine 
hope is obtained upon a dying bed. This 
is evident from the fact that many who 
have professed repentance and conversion 
on what they supposed to be their dying 
bed, when they recovered have become 
more indifferent and wicked than before. 
They were not truly converted ; and had 
they died they would have been forever 
lost. On a bed of sickness is not the 
pi ace to obtain eternal life and salvation 
Not only so, but you may be suddenly 
called to depart this life without a single 
moment's warning. Though in the en- 



94 THE UNCONVERTED 

joyment of your usual health to-day, you 
may die to-morrow. When life is so very 
uncertain is it acting the part of wisdom 
to defer the salvation of your soul to a 
future time. You are under the con- 
demning sentence of God's holy law; 
when you die that sentence will surely 
be executed upon you if you have not 
made your peace with God. You may 
die before the rising of another sun, and 
your soul be lost in hell forever. The 
blessed Saviour is to-day knocking at the 
door of your heart for admittance ; will 
you refuse to receive him ? 

Beware ! the messenger of death may 
knock to-morrow. O delay not any 
longer, but come to the Saviour now. 
He is ready and willing to save you 
now. To-morrow may be forever too 
late. 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. 



95 



" When the holy have gone to the regions of peace, 

To dwell in the mansions above ; 
When their harmony wakes in the fulness of bliss, 

Their song to the Saviour they love ; 
Say, O sinner, that livest at rest and secure, 

Who fearest not trouble to come, 
Can thy spirit the swellings of sorrow endure, 

Or bear the impenitent's doom." 



SECTION XXV. 

IF YOU WILL NOT COME TO THE SAVIOUR YOU 
MUST FOREVER PERISH. 

YOU must be in earnest on this import- 
ant subject. The Saviour says : 
" Strive to enter in at the straight gate." 
This implies that you are to be in great 
earnest on this momentous subject. Do 
you then earnestly inquire, " What must 
I do to be saved ?" " Believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." 
If you neglect to do this there is no 



gg THE UNCONVERTED 

remedy for you. If you are sick and 
neglect or refuse the only remedy that 
can cure you, you must die. The Saviour 
has provided the only remedy for your 
salvation; but if you refuse or simply 
neglect it, you must surely perish. You 
need not be guilty of heinous crimes to 
lose your soul, but only neglect the calls 
of the Saviour. You may be moral in 
your deportment, and regard the Sabbath 
and attend the outward ordinances of the 
Gospel ; but if you do not come to the 
Saviour you will surely be lost. " How 
shall we escape if we neglect so great 
salvation ?" Escape is utterly impossible 
if you neglect the only means of salva- 
tion. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only 
Saviour. He alone can save your im- 
mortal soul. " Neither is there salvation 
in any other; for there is none other 



INVITED TO THE SA VIOUR. QJ 

name under heaven given among men 
whereby we must he saved." Oh, sinner, 
if you neglect the Saviour you seal your 
own damnation sure. What a guilty, 
guilty sinner you are in the sight of God. 
What can you expect at God's hands but 
that awful punishment which your guilt 
deserves ? For such hardened sinners, 
' There remaineth no more sacrifice for 
sins, but a certain fearful looking for of 
judgment and fiery indignation which 
shall devour the adversaries." He that 
despised Moses' law died without mercy, 
under two or three witnesses. Of how 
much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall 
he be thought worthy, who hath trodden 
under foot the Son of God, and hath 
counted the blood of the covenant where- 
with he was sanctified an unholy thing, 
and hath done despite unto the Spirit of 



98 



THE UNCONVERTED 



grace ? Oh, sinner, let not Satan de- 
lude you with the vain hope of escape, 
while you have been " treasuring up 
wrath against the day of wrath, and reve- 
lation of the righteous judgment of God." 
Such a hope is nothing but delusion. 
There is no possible escape but by com- 
ing to the Saviour; if you neglect this 
you will surely go down to the abodes 
of eternal death. Oh, sinner, I entreat 
you now to come to the Saviour. With 
all the compassion and love of a Saviour 
he invites and entreats you to come to 
him. He will receive you with open 
arms. Come now. Come, leaving every 
excuse and all your sins behind. Tell 
the Saviour you are a great sinner — 
that you are a heavy laden sinner, and 
feel the need of his pardoning mercy. 
He will grant your request, and bestow 



INVITED TO THE SA VI OUR. gg 

upon you eternal salvation. -Come; O, 
come to the Saviour. The blessed Jesus 
has opened and completely finished the 
way of life and salvation by shedding his 
blood on Calvary. He now invites you 
to accept that salvation freely tendered 
you. Will you accept it, that your soul 
may live forever in the mansions of eter- 
nal glory. 

" Nothing, either great or small, 
Nothing, sinner, no ; 
Jesus died and paid it all, 
Long, long ago. 
Chorus — Jesus paid it all, 

All the debt I owe, 
And nothing either great or small 
Remains for me to do. 

" When he from his holy throne 
Stooped to do and die, 
Everything was fully done — 
' Tis finished,' was his cry. 
Chorus — Jesus, &c. 



100 



THE UNCONVERTED INVITED. 



" Wean', working, plodding one, 
Wherefore toil you so ? 
Cease your doing ; all was done 
Long, long ago. 

Chorus — Jesus, &c. 

"Till to Jesus' work you cling, 
By a simple faith, 
Doing is a deadly thing, 
Doing ends in death. 

Chorus — Jesus, &c. 

"Cast your deadly doing down, 
Down at Jesus' feet ; 
Stand in him, in him alone, 
Glorious and complete. 
Chorus — Jesus, &c 






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